Jonathan White Shares His Book Tides

Jonathan White will read from his book Tides:
The Science and Spirit of the Ocean

Hoffman Center for the ArtsSaturday, May 20, 2017 | 7pm

After nearly losing his 65’ wooden schooner in a large Alaskan tide, writer, sailor, surfer and marine conservationist Jonathan White vowed to understand the tide. He knew the moon had something to do with it, but what exactly? He thought he’d learn enough from a book or two, but the subject turned out to be far more complex, fascinating and poetic than he imagined. Two books turned into three hundred — and ten years of research criss-crossing the seven seas to view the largest, fastest, scariest, and most amazing tides in the world.

His book mixes science, history, ocean lore and literary travel writing. He fills you in on various cultures’ ancient myths about the tides and scientists’ gradual discovery of what triggers tides’ rise and fall. He touches on rising sea levels triggered by climate change, the latest efforts to tap tidal energy for our electrical power needs, and more.

White has written for the Christian Science Monitor, Sierra, The Sun, Surfer’s Journal, Orion, and other publications. He holds an MFA in creative nonfiction, and lives with his wife and son on a small island in Washington State. He has served on numerous conservation boards and committees, including the San Juan Preservation Trust, the San Juan County Marine Resources Committee, and the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative.

As founder and former director of the Resource Institute, a nonprofit educational organization based in Seattle, Washington, he spent eleven years building a seminar program aboard the schooner Crusader in the Pacific Northwest. Resource Institute sponsored weeklong seminars aboard the sixty-five-foot schooner, with subjects ranging from navigation, anthropology, and whale research to poetry, writing, music, and photography. James Hillman, Lynn Margulis, Gary Snyder, Robert Bly, Art Wolfe, and William Stafford were among the many who taught aboard Crusader. Jonathan’s first book, Talking on the Water, grew out of these experiences.

“When I first received this book for a review I thought I would learn some neat facts for impressing people on trivia night. I was ready to learn, but I wasn’t ready to feel. Tides is poetry, prose, and practical science intertwined with incredible skill.” – BlogCritic

“White makes gnarly subtleties lucid, and has a sense of humor when confrontedwith the technicalities of his subject.” – Michael Upchurch,the Oregonian

During the day Saturday, from 1-3, White will teach a workshop on Research and Writing: A Balance. How much research is too much? Too little? Discussion topics include how to conduct interviews, travel, note-taking, recordings, the role of patience and luck, and how to organize and manage research materials while writing. This will be useful whether you write fiction, nonfiction, memoir.

The workshop will be held at the Hoffman Center for the Arts and tuition is $40. Register using the Add to Cart button below.

Following White’s reading and Q&A in the evening, we’ll have our popular Open Mic where up to nine local or visiting writers will read 5 minutes of their original work. The suggested (not required) theme for the evening’s Open Mic is “Not Your Usual Ocean Story.“

NOTE: Admission for the evening reading is $7. This event may well sell out, so come early. Doors open at 6:30.

The Manzanita Writers’ Series is a program of the Hoffman Center for the Arts. For more information contact Kathie Hightower ~ kathiejhightower@gmail.com